1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a splash guard or like device to prevent leakage into a boat of water passing beyond the sealing assembly or stuffing box normally disposed to restrict leakage along the propeller shaft during operation of the boat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In propeller driven marine craft, an elongated propeller shaft is rotatably driven at relatively high speeds in order to adequately drive the propeller for the propulsion of the craft through water. When the marine craft is designed to be propelled by an inboard motor, the propeller shaft usually assumes a relatively extended longitudinal dimension and passes through the bottom of the boat generally in the stern area so that the propeller may be properly located rearwardly and somewhat beneath the boat. In each instance, regardless of the size of the craft, a well known problem exists with water leaking into the interior of the craft frequently to the area of the engine compartment or engine room in larger marine crafts even though such leakage is attempted to be restricted by prior art sealing assemblies or stuffing boxes. Typically, such stuffing boxes include packing or like sealing material engaging the outer surface of the shaft while it is rotating. The stuffing box or sealing assembly is designed to effectively restrict or minimize the inflow of leakage or water from the exterior of the craft into its interior during rotation of the shaft. While excess leakage can be controlled to the extent of replacing the packing material of the stuffing box and/or "tightening" certain adjustable mounting features associated with most prior art stuffing boxes, the problem of leakage still exists and presents a major problem.
Accordingly, there is a need for an assembly which would effectively eliminate such leakage while not requiring structural modification of the craft and allow utilization of conventional packing assemblies or stuffing boxes by being cooperatively structured to capture and/or divert any flow of water leaking beyond the stuffing box of the rotating shaft.
Such a preferred assembly should be reliable in terms of preventing the aforementioned leakage, easy and inexpensive to install by being structurally adaptive to the structure and location of the rotating propeller shaft.